Pastor Craig's ConSpiritu Blog

In my last blog post, I made the statement that if you can talk, you can pray. I need to expand that. If you can think, you can pray. The quote on my office wall to which I referred (“Prayer is that part of the Will of God that requires the vehicle of human speech in order to be manifested in the world”) should not be construed to mean that actual vocalization is required for the act of prayer. Not everyone can speak vocally. Many prayers are, in fact silent. What is significant for prayer to be prayer is the formulation and expression of intention. In my study of the various religions and expressions of spirituality around the world, I have been struck by how often this notion of expressing an intention recurs. It seems to be a universal aspect of human spiritual practice. It is rooted in the ordinary form of well-wishing we extend to one another: “Good Luck!” “I hope you have a good trip.” “Have a great day.” “Happy Birthday!” “God bless you.” “Get well.” All of these express a ...

Several years ago, when I was visiting my parents in Beaverton, Oregon, I found myself sitting out in the courtyard under the gazebo in Bridgeport Plaza in Tualatin, Oregon. As I sat there, a man came and sat across the gazebo from me. The gazebo is large, so he was about fifty feet away. As most people are wont to do these days, he pulled out his cell phone and commenced a rather loud conversation. It became apparent early on that he was a minister and was speaking with one of his parishioners. The phone was one of those equipped with an earpiece and a microphone attached to the cord that connects into the phone. Because of this I could hear every word of his conversation, including his prayer. Not only was I uncomfortable with him broadcasting the sensitive details of his parishioner’s personal problems across the whole plaza, I also wanted to go up to him and ask him if he had ever read Matthew 6:5-6: “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing ...

Have you noticed how technologized customer service is becoming these days? ATMs are slowly replacing real live tellers at banks. Red Boxes dispense videos, while places like Hollywood Video have gone out of business, where you would talk to a person face-to-face, sometimes about the movie you were borrowing. You can now go to a grocery store, and purchase food or sundries using the self-checkout and never interact with a real person (unless the computerized checkout goofs up).  One of the main impetuses behind these developments is cutting costs. You don't have to pay machines a living wage, not worry about health insurance or other benefits. One trained technician can service a whole fleet of machines. But while large corporations save money this way, one thing that gets lost is the personal touch, the interaction between persons. Sure, those interactions can at times be unpleasant or rude, but they can also be helpful, cheering and at times even funny. But the point of this is...

For several years I lived in Joseph, Oregon , a small community (1000 people) tucked up in the far northeastern corner of Oregon. The house I lived in was heated by a wood stove, so during the fall and winter I would step outside and split wood to take in and toss on the fire. Joseph is located right next to the fabulous and mystical Wallowa Lake, which is cradled by two picture-perfect lateral moraines deposited during the most recent periods of the Ice Age. Wallowa Lake is a favorite stopover for migrating waterfowl, especially Canada Geese. So it was that frequently as I was chopping wood, a skein of geese would fly overhead, flapping and honking to beat the band. Sometimes they flew so low that not only could I distinguish their individual honks, but I could also hear the flap of their wings. I would stand there enchanted and delighted by the experience. I never tire of hearing honking geese.  Occasionally I would hear a strange sound. It had a tinge of desperation, and mo...

For the next several weeks, my sermons will be focusing upon issues of stewardship. Stewardship is a sort of an old-fashioned word that in many ways is as relevant and necessary as at any point in history. Stewardship basically relates to what it is we do with what has been given to us or more to the point, what has been entrusted to us and to our care. Biblically speaking, that means everything: earth, life, culture, talents, abilities, intelligence, etc. there is very little in our sphere of existence that is not dependent upon something or someone else outside of ourselves.  Theologically, we talk about the contingency of our existence. Another way to look at it has to do with the interdependence and interconnectedness of everything. Because of this vast and total interconnectedness, what we do to one another and with what we have direct influence over matters. It makes a difference. And because we speak of all things belonging to God (“the earth is the LORD’s and everything ...